Nine To Noon for Friday 30 October 2020

 

 

09:05  Concerning language skills of new entrants

New research has found many children starting primary school are not able to speak properly, some with the language skills of toddlers. In fact, up to two thirds of new entrants in schools that were part of one study, had poor oral language skills. It's part of a pilot scheme in Christchurch and Auckland primary schools called the Better Start Literacy Approach.  We'll discuss what is happening and what might be needed to ensure children get off to a better start with one of the researchers, Associate Professor Brigid McNeill , Deputy Head of School at Teacher Education at the University of Canterbury and also with Christchurch principal of Gilberthorpe Primary School in Hornby, Andrew Wilkinson. 

09:30 New Zealand's first fully electric plane

Christchurch aviator Gary Freedman is launching the electric plane at Christchurch airport this morning. He is the founder of Electric Air, a social enterprise start-up formed to promote low emission aviation in New Zealand. Gary is fully expecting electric10-20 seater planes to be flying domestic routes here before 2030. His Alpha Electro plane is a two seater battery electric light-aircraft designed for training student pilots. 

09:40 OE cancelled? How about a backyard roadie?

Two Auckland mates with a love of travel have teamed up to run backyard tours for young kiwis. Jason Goodson and Isaac London are the duo behind Backyard Roadies  - adventure tours for 18 to 35 year olds who want to explore Aotearoa and meet other young people along the way. Jason came up with the idea during lockdown when it seemed the traditional OE was destined to become a thing of the past. He says the response has been fantastic and their summer tours are almost booked out.

09:45 Asia correspondent Elizabeth Beattie

An escalation of pro-democracy protests in Thailand, an arrest of a former Hong Kong student group leader attempting to claim asylum and Japan's new Prime Minister pledges Japan will be carbon neutral by 2050.

Elizabeth Beattie is a journalist at Thomson Reuters, based in Hong Kong.

10:05 Busted: Investigator Ron McQuilter on his biggest cases - and the one that haunts him

Ron McQuilter lives by his ABCs - Assume nothing, Believe nobody, Check everything. It's helped him through 37 years working as a private investigator in New Zealand. Born in Scotland, Ron followed his sweetheart back to her homeland and set out to work as a private eye. He's run his company Paragon NZ for over three decades. In that time he's been involved in a number of high-profile investigations for corporates and other government entities - but the case that left the biggest impact on him was the disappearance of New Zealander Lee Sheppard in London in 2003. His determination to work out what happened to Lee is told in Ron's new book, Busted.

10:35 Book review - Dance Prone by David Coventry

John Duke of Unity Books reviews Dance Prone by David Coventry, published by Victoria University Press.

A novel of music, ritual and love. Set simultaneously during the post-punk period and the narrative present of 2019, Dance Prone was born out of a love of the underground and indie rock scenes of the 1980s, and a fascination for their role in the cultural apparatus of memory, social decay and its reconstruction.

10:45 The Reading

Anne Budd with the reading, it's My First Real Pash by Katy Soljak.

11:05 New music with Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor from SlowBoat Records with a long overdue expanded reissue of one of Tom Petty's finest records, The Anchoress joins forces with Suede's Bernard Butler, and Cave Circles' entrancing new album.

11:30 Sports commentator Sam Ackerman

Sam looks ahead to the weekend's Bledisloe Cup third test in Sydney, casts his eye over the rugby reality show Matchfit and Steve Hansen changes codes, signing on as the Bulldogs NRL high performance consultant.

11:45 The week that was with

Comedians Te Radar and Jodie Rimmer take us into the weekend with a few laughs. 

Music played in this show

Track: Dylon Thomas

Artist: Better Oblivion Community Centre

Time: 09:30